The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-04-29

delusion. and such l have always re-
garded it, and paciied them for the
time. Well, it was the same the next
night, and the next. told them they
had for the time better remove the
cattle and not use the barn. for the
ghost had now taken such hold OF
them that there would be no other
way, feared.
"That was the beginning of it..
Everything was right in the morning
during the day. all day, till the APP
proach OF night, then the calls began,
and when the inside was dusky with
oncoming night, men fancied they saw
the shapless form. Light up and it
vanished with the shadows, nor was
the voice heard when any one was in
| the barn. Go out, close the door, and
it began again. Sometimes, when one
left, the first thing was n low, snicker-
ing laugh. Well it was all over froin
that night. 1t got out-the neighbors
came, till far and near there was e, :
cltement--it got into the papers.
Once in while one came who could
neither see nor hear anything. Final
ly the season grew warm the cattle
were changed to sheds elsewhere, buS it
made no difference with the thing,
whatever 1t was. something or moth
| ing, that remained. Those who want
ed it could always find it, at twilight,
could hear 1t, seem to see it in the
dusk Strike q light and it was not
| there.
"rhey used the barn that summer,
but never after much. A new house
was built further away. The frost
finally upset the underpining at one
corner, which fell down a little.
Weeds grew rank about it; finally
trees came up around it. Folks had
a fancy for pines and funeral ever
greens ut an early day, and there was
a clump OF these that quite cut he
old barn off from the Old house. A
thicket OF wild plums from one orig.
inally planted grew up. tall and thick,
between it and the road. Naples,
beeches, sprang up. The swallows
ceased to build in it, the rats deserted
it. men ceased to speak OF it. no one
went near it, and so it in a way died
off. 1t is there still
1 Then there was a talk about what
it was, ii anything, among the old
boys, OF whom the two from Michigan
had never visited the place.
'The tact is, said r., "a few thou
sand or hundred thousand years ago,
| we were cave and river drift men, Dig
ger Indiaas, in fact. from which the
white man never wholly escaped.
We've progressed only in streaks, Our
cave side, Digger part, at times pre-.
dominates. Every one has q large
| bor Of ~
got itself started as fungus OF this
ground. Toadstools always come up
in the night. The first we know of
them we find them fully grown in the
morning. This thing, once started,
lived on this shady. damp, and for all
foolishness, rich human soil"
Dan agreed with him in the main,
though both admitted that they had
heard the voice. Capt. John differed
with them. Monroe was undecided;
said he had some oil the soil in which
toadstools might grow. Theo said
that the weight OF evidence was in fa-
vor OF some unusual visitation, and
wished he had been th0re in the day OF
it.
"Oh, it is as much there now as it
ever was" said r.. "I'll bet a hay.
stock against new version OF the Old
Testament that if we go there now
you'll hear the CATTLE calls, or think
yon do. This is the very witching
hour and the very season for it,"
"Done," cried Theo. "Iet us 90,
boys"
1t was agreed to at once The ket-
ties we're filed with cold sap, the tire
pulled away SO that no harm might
occur to the partly reduced syrup, and
the party moved toward the open
ground,
/ "Your wager" said Dan to r., sis
hardly fair. II Theodore denies hear.
ing or seeing, you lose.
"Oh, you can trust Seven Day
Baptist called out William, which
provoked small laugh.
/ ats just the night for ghosts" said
Capt. John, looking about.
| He was right: The moon in it's sec.
ond quarter furnished all the light
The Sky was Hecked with small. high
| up, slow moving clonds, and TO a. fancy
| qnickened by the eelie tale just told
the air seemed filled with fitting shad,
ows and phantoms. "l'he chances
are all against me-" sad Theo. who
had joined in the small laugh recur-
ring to Dams remark. "'rhis whole
old region is filed with ghosts
can't take n step without soaring
up broods ano llocks OF the old time
memories, spirits OF the departed
This morning ! went out into the
south woods, where Decide and used
to hunt, go for chestnuts, LOAF and
. I ,,Io fNha t,nnIs. tnl
could not breathe-was choked, suffo
Gated. I rushed out into the opel
fields, and as | turned and looked
back could almost see human forms
standing under the trees, beckonins tc
me-"
"Oh, you'll find him all right" sait
Monroe in reassuring voice.
The dear old region had been noted
J famous, III a sad way, for the mum
Der OF its suicides. 1t was inevitable
that the liSt should be gone over will
us they leisureay passed over the higi
rolling ground on their way to tht
haunted run a half mile away.
1t stood solitary on gentle east
ern slope, surrounded hidden, il
: ,aat--by trees and small growths
which they approached on it;
dark side, now black in contrast witt
the gray landscape dimly lit by The
slender moon. Prepared. expectant
! their voices fell low, and ceased q,
: they passed the east side of the tree,
and growths to the front on the soutl
! side. The outline was awry, th,
large doors ajar, warped and partly
fallen, the root rotten and in severa
places open=-decay, desertion and ut
ter silence seemed to brood over th,
ruins.
Slowly they advanced, and sudden
ly halted, as by an electric impulse
Even r. seemed taken by surprise
whlis t4.e hair OF the strangers they
felt lifting itssf on their scalps
, Was it common illusion Of th,
senses? Was it a real voicey Will,
in the grucsome presence it was real.
II HWhat did / tell your" whispered X
II "By the hsiiss." breathed Theo, a.
, they listened to the ones familiar ac
, cent, the old calls, and paipes. ior {
minute or two and then Il. led the way
, to the back opening OF the lnltunhinget